Midrash su Ester 6:14
עוֹדָם֙ מְדַבְּרִ֣ים עִמּ֔וֹ וְסָרִיסֵ֥י הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ הִגִּ֑יעוּ וַיַּבְהִ֙לוּ֙ לְהָבִ֣יא אֶת־הָמָ֔ן אֶל־הַמִּשְׁתֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשְׂתָ֥ה אֶסְתֵּֽר׃
Quelli stavano ancora parlando con lui quando i regj eunuchi arrivarono, ed in gran fretta condussero Haman al banchetto preparato da Ester.
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
(13) And Haman related to Zereth his wife and to all his friends. And then it is written: Then said unto him his wise men and Zereth his wife; first they are called friends, and then wise men? R. Jochanan said: "A man, even of any nation, who says an intelligent thing only should be termed wise (Chacham). If Mordecai be of the seed of the Judeans; i.e., they said: "If Mordecai is descended from other tribes, you will get the better of him; but if he be descended from one of these tribes — Juda, Benjamin, Ephraim, Menaseeh — then you cannot overcome him; from Juda, because it is written (Gen. 49, 8) Thy hand shall be on the neck of thy enemies; and the other three, because it is written (Ps. 80, 3) Before Ephraim, Benjamin and Menasseh, awaken thy might." But thou will surely fall before him. R. Juda b. Ilai taught: "What is the meaning surely fall [doubled in the test]? Infer from this that they said to him thus: 'This nation (Israel) resembles earth, and resembles stars; when they sink they sink to the dust, and when they rise they rise to the stars.' " (Est. 6, 14) They were yet speaking with him when the king's chamberlains arrived, and they hastened. From this we infer that they brought him in a hurry. For the adversary regardeth not the damage of the king. She said to him: "This enemy is not worth the damage he causes to the king; when he became jealous of Vashti, he killed her, and now he becomes jealous of me, and wants to kill me too." And the king arose in his fury … and when the king returned. From this we may infer that just as he had gone out in a fury, so he returned in a fury; he went to his garden and found that angels, in the form of men, were uprooting the trees of his garden and throwing them away. Upon his inquiry as to why they were doing it, he was informed that Haman had ordered them to do so. When he returned to his house he found Haman was fallen upon the couch, etc. It is not written, fell [active case], but, was fallen [passive case]; i.e., infer from this that an angel came and pushed him. And the king said: "Woe from inside, and woe from outside." And the king said: "Will he even do violence to the queen before me in the house?" Then said Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, etc. R. Chama b. Chanina said: "Harbonah the wicked had also been among those who had given the advice to make a gallows for Mordecai; but as soon as he saw that his plan was not fulfilled, he deserted Haman and went over to Mordecai's friends, and this interpretation is derived from the passage (Job 27, 22) And will cast upon him, and have no pity; out of his hand will surely escape. And the fury of the king [Shachacha] was appeased. What does the double (appeasing) stand for? One refers to the King of the Universe and the other refers to Ahasuerus. Others, however, say that one refers to the anger about Vashti and one about Esther."
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Eikhah Rabbah
“How the Lord has clouded the daughter of Zion in His wrath. He cast the splendor of Israel from the heavens to the earth, and did not remember His footstool on the day of His wrath” (Lamentations 2:1).
“Terror [balahot] overwhelms me” (Job 30:15). Rabbi Ḥanina said: The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: In the past, it was I [Israel] who would terrify others, just as it says: “They hastened [vayavhilu] to bring Haman” (Esther 6:14). And another verse says: “I will render you a terror and you will be no more” (Ezekiel 26:21).1This verse is directed to Tyre, as punishment to their actions toward Israel. And it says: “Then the chieftains of Edom were terrified” (Exodus 15:15). Now it has been reversed against me. Rabbi Aḥa said: [This is analogous] to a segment of a pillar that was rolling through a plaza, and it collided with a rock and remained adjacent to it. So, “Your wrath weighs upon me” (Psalms 88:8).2The point is that when God’s wrath, which inflicts terror, came upon Israel, it remained with Israel.
“It pursues my virtue [nedivati] like the wind” (Job 30:15), people who are noble minded [nedivim] and are worthy to have redemption come through them, You scatter them like the wind. “And like a cloud, my salvation passes” (Job 30:15), people who are noble minded and are worthy to have salvation come through them, You divert them and cause them to pass like clouds, as it is stated: “How the Lord has clouded the daughter of Zion in His wrath.”
And it is written: “Like the nations that the Lord is eliminating from before you [so you will be eliminated]” (Deuteronomy 8:20). Say that just as those were with a priest and a prophet, so, too, these were with a priest and a prophet.3The elimination of the Canaanite nations began with the destruction of Jericho in a process led by priests and by Joshua, a prophet (see Joshua chapter 6). Similarly, Israel’s exile was foretold by Jeremiah, who was both a prophet and a priest (Etz Yosef). Just like those, it was with a shofar and shouting, so, too, these were with a shofar and shouting. And just as these were fourteen, as it is stated: “The Dinites, and the Afaresatekhites, the Tarpelites, the Afaresites, the Arkevites, the Babylonians, the Shushankhites, the Dehites, the Elamites, and the rest of the nations whom the great and honored Asenapar exiled” (Ezra 4:9–10),4The phrase “the rest of the nations” refers to an additional five nations mentioned in II Kings 17:24. These fourteen nations were exiled from their homelands and resettled in Samaria by Sennacherib of Assyria. They were all who remained of the nations that he conquered. say that these, too, were fourteen, as it is written: “On that day, his fortified cities will be like the abandoned forest and the treetop [haamir] that they abandoned” (Isaiah 17:9). What is haamir? It is as stated.5The midrash interprets the word haamir to mean “as stated [haamur],” meaning that the remnant will be as stated earlier in that passage: “There shall be left in it gleanings, as at the beating of an olive tree, two or three berries in the uppermost bough, four or five in the branches of the fruitful tree” (Isaiah 17:6). The verse mentions two, three, four, and five, which equal a total of fourteen. This is an expression of the fact that the remnant will be small in number (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: As it is stated in the Torah: “Like the nations that the Lord is eliminating from before you [so you will be eliminated]” (Deuteronomy 8:20). Say that just as these were with the collapse of the wall, as it is written: “The wall collapsed in its place” (Joshua 6:20), these, too, were with the collapse of the wall.6See Eikha Rabba, Prologue, 30, where it is asserted that during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem the wall around the city sank two and a half handbreadths per day until the enemies were able to enter the city. Just as these were with thickets [avim], as it is written: “They go into thickets [be’avim]…and into the rocks” (Jeremiah 4:29),7In the context of the midrash, this is referring to the destruction of other nations. However, the verse in Jeremiah is actually stated regarding the destruction of Israel. Some suggest that since it has been established that the destruction of each is parallel, this verse implies that the destruction of the nations of the world will also be in this manner (Maharzu). Some suggest that the text be emended such that the citation is from Isaiah 19:1 rather than from Jeremiah 4:29 (Etz Yosef). these, too, were with avim, “how the Lord has clouded [ya’iv]…in His wrath.”
“Terror [balahot] overwhelms me” (Job 30:15). Rabbi Ḥanina said: The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: In the past, it was I [Israel] who would terrify others, just as it says: “They hastened [vayavhilu] to bring Haman” (Esther 6:14). And another verse says: “I will render you a terror and you will be no more” (Ezekiel 26:21).1This verse is directed to Tyre, as punishment to their actions toward Israel. And it says: “Then the chieftains of Edom were terrified” (Exodus 15:15). Now it has been reversed against me. Rabbi Aḥa said: [This is analogous] to a segment of a pillar that was rolling through a plaza, and it collided with a rock and remained adjacent to it. So, “Your wrath weighs upon me” (Psalms 88:8).2The point is that when God’s wrath, which inflicts terror, came upon Israel, it remained with Israel.
“It pursues my virtue [nedivati] like the wind” (Job 30:15), people who are noble minded [nedivim] and are worthy to have redemption come through them, You scatter them like the wind. “And like a cloud, my salvation passes” (Job 30:15), people who are noble minded and are worthy to have salvation come through them, You divert them and cause them to pass like clouds, as it is stated: “How the Lord has clouded the daughter of Zion in His wrath.”
And it is written: “Like the nations that the Lord is eliminating from before you [so you will be eliminated]” (Deuteronomy 8:20). Say that just as those were with a priest and a prophet, so, too, these were with a priest and a prophet.3The elimination of the Canaanite nations began with the destruction of Jericho in a process led by priests and by Joshua, a prophet (see Joshua chapter 6). Similarly, Israel’s exile was foretold by Jeremiah, who was both a prophet and a priest (Etz Yosef). Just like those, it was with a shofar and shouting, so, too, these were with a shofar and shouting. And just as these were fourteen, as it is stated: “The Dinites, and the Afaresatekhites, the Tarpelites, the Afaresites, the Arkevites, the Babylonians, the Shushankhites, the Dehites, the Elamites, and the rest of the nations whom the great and honored Asenapar exiled” (Ezra 4:9–10),4The phrase “the rest of the nations” refers to an additional five nations mentioned in II Kings 17:24. These fourteen nations were exiled from their homelands and resettled in Samaria by Sennacherib of Assyria. They were all who remained of the nations that he conquered. say that these, too, were fourteen, as it is written: “On that day, his fortified cities will be like the abandoned forest and the treetop [haamir] that they abandoned” (Isaiah 17:9). What is haamir? It is as stated.5The midrash interprets the word haamir to mean “as stated [haamur],” meaning that the remnant will be as stated earlier in that passage: “There shall be left in it gleanings, as at the beating of an olive tree, two or three berries in the uppermost bough, four or five in the branches of the fruitful tree” (Isaiah 17:6). The verse mentions two, three, four, and five, which equal a total of fourteen. This is an expression of the fact that the remnant will be small in number (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: As it is stated in the Torah: “Like the nations that the Lord is eliminating from before you [so you will be eliminated]” (Deuteronomy 8:20). Say that just as these were with the collapse of the wall, as it is written: “The wall collapsed in its place” (Joshua 6:20), these, too, were with the collapse of the wall.6See Eikha Rabba, Prologue, 30, where it is asserted that during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem the wall around the city sank two and a half handbreadths per day until the enemies were able to enter the city. Just as these were with thickets [avim], as it is written: “They go into thickets [be’avim]…and into the rocks” (Jeremiah 4:29),7In the context of the midrash, this is referring to the destruction of other nations. However, the verse in Jeremiah is actually stated regarding the destruction of Israel. Some suggest that since it has been established that the destruction of each is parallel, this verse implies that the destruction of the nations of the world will also be in this manner (Maharzu). Some suggest that the text be emended such that the citation is from Isaiah 19:1 rather than from Jeremiah 4:29 (Etz Yosef). these, too, were with avim, “how the Lord has clouded [ya’iv]…in His wrath.”
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Pesikta Rabbati
... Teach us o teacher: toward where should one who prays orient his heart? This is what our Rabbis taught: one should orient his heart toward the place of the Holy of Holies (Berachot 4:5). R’ Eliezer ben Yaakov says: if one is praying outside of the land, he should orient his heart to the land of Israel. If one is praying within the land of Israel, he should orient his heart to Jerusalem. If one is praying in Jerusalem, he should orient his heart to the Holy Temple. If one is praying in the Holy Temple, he should orient his heart to the Holy of Holies. R’ Avin the Levi said: “our neck is like the Tower of David, built as a model (talpiyot)…” (Song of Songs 4:4) What does talpiyot mean? The hill (tel) toward which all turns (peniyot) are directed. And after all this praise, it is written “Open your doors, O Lebanon, and let the fire consume your cedars.” (Zechariah 11:1) And so too they said “He has hurled fire into my bones…” (Lamentations 1:13) Israel said to Him: Master of the World! How long will it be like this? Did You not write in Your Torah “…the one who ignited the fire shall surely pay” (Exodus 22:5)? And You are the one who ignited the fire, as it says “From above He has hurled fire into my bones…” (Lamentations 1:13) You need to rebuild it and to console us, not at the hands of an angel but You in Your glory. The Holy One said to them: by your life, so I will do! As it says “The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem; He will gather the outcasts of Israel.” (Psalms 147:2) And I am the one who consoles you. From where do we learn this? From that which they read in the prophets “I, yea I am He Who consoles you…” (Isaiah 51:12)
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